Indicating device for vehicles.



H.- DOLLENBERG.

INDICATING DEVICE FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED lum/15.1915.

4:93. Patented om. 24, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

H. OLLENBEFZG H. DOLLENBERG.

INDICATING DEVICE FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED IuLY I5, I9I5.

Patented Oct. 24, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

HARRY DOLLENBERG, OF TOWSON, MARYLAND.

INDICATING DEVICE FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Uct. 24, 191MB.

Application led July 15, 1915. Serial No. 40,080.

To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that T, HARRY DOLLENBERG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Towson, in the county of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have yinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicating Devices for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improved indicating device for vehicles and more particularly to a device of this character designed for use upon automobiles, whereby other automobilists or pedestrians may be given warning as to the intentions of the operator with regard, to the subsequent movements of the machine.

It is another object of the invention to provide a device of the above character which is of such construction and so mounted upon the machine that the indicative characters are visible either from the front or the rear.

It is an additional object of the invention to provide an indicating` device for motor vehicles, the several parts of which are very compactly arranged so that the invention will occupy but little space upon the body of the machine and may also be produced at small manufacturing cost and readily applied to the ordinary motor vehicle without, in any way, altering the construction thereof.

TWith the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is an elevation showing my improved indicating device as applied to the wind shield of a motor vehicle; Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section illustrating the mechanism for operating the web carrying rollers; Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing one pair of the rollers with the web connecting the same removed from the casing; Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section of a portion of the operating mechanism, the tube 33 being disposed at right angles to its proper operative position; and Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

In carrying out my invention, I preferably employ a casing constructed in two sections, indicated at 5, each of said sections bei'ng provided with a rim or flange 6. The casing sections may be formed of gun metal, aluminum, or other suitable sheet materlal, while the rims 6 are preferably nlcleled steel. The open sides of these casings are opposed to each other and the caslng sections securely fastened together by means of the screws 7. At one of their ends, the sections of the casing are hingedly connected, as at 8.

Two steel castings 9 are arranged in spaced relation to each other within the casing and are held against longitudinal shifting movement by means of studs or lugs l0 fixed to the walls of the respective casing sections and projecting inwardly upon the inner opposed faces of the castings 9. Spaced pairs of web carrying rollers 11 are arranged between the bearing castings 9 and are provided with trunnions 12 on their ends which are journaled in said castings. The webs 13 have their ends secured in longitudinal grooves 14 in the respective pairs of rollers, by means of screws 15, and each of these webs bears the words Turn, Clear, Stop, and these words are adapted to appear opposite openings 16 in the side walls of the casing sections when the web is actuated. The openings 1G are covered by glass or other suitable transparent material, shown at 17.

To the end of the casing opposite the hinged end, a longitudinally extending pipe or tube 18 is secured by means of several of the fastening screws 7, and to the outer end of this tube, a rectangular boxing or housing 19 is connected. This boxing constitutes a coupling for connecting the horizontally disposed tube 1S to a vertical tube or pipe 20 which is slidably engaged in a guide sleeve 21 on the outer end of an arm 22 which is suitably fixed to the frame of the wind shield on the machine. This vertical pipe or tube 20 is adapted to be securely held in its adjusted position by means of a set screw shown at 23. A shaft 24 is mounted in roller bearings, indicated at 25, arranged in the tube or pipe 18, and this shaft extends into the indicator casing and is mounted in one of the bearing castings 9. The castings being connected by the roller shafts 12 are thus supported against vertical movement. @ne end of each of the web carrying rollers 11 has a gear 26 fixed thereon, and with each of these gears, a large spur gear 27, keyed upon the shaft 24, en-

vehicle.

gages. The gears 26 mesh with pinions 41 on the ends of rollers 42 which support endless webs 43 adjacent to the respective webs 13. The-outermost stretch of each of the Webs 43 has two arrows printed thereon,

pointing in relatively opposite directions. The webs 13 are preferably of celluloid or other transparent material so that the ar-4 rows, indicated at 28, on the web 43, will be visible therethrough.

On the outer end of the shaft 24 within the housing 19, a bevel gear 29 is fixed and meshes with a similar gear 30 upon the upper end of the vertical shaft 31 which is mounted on the roller bearings 32 arranged lower end of the vertical pipe or tube 20 and is provided with a pinion 37 meshing with a similar pinionl 38 on the lower end of the vertical shaft 31. There is an additional gear 39 mounted in the lower end of the pipe 20 and meshing with the gear 38 on the shaft 31which frictionallyacts to retard the rotation .of said shaft and prevent its casual movement.

In the operation of the device above described, when the driver desires to turn the machine, he throws the handle to the right, thereby turning the rod 34 in the tube 33. In this turning movement of the rod, the shaft 31 is also rotated which, in turn, transmits rotation to the shaft 24, thereby moving the webs 13 in relatively opposite directions so that the word Turn on each of the webs will appear opposite to the sight openings in the casing walls. The arrows28 are so arranged upon the web 43 that when the web 13 is moved, motion is also transmitted to the web 43 to a suiiicient extent to render one of the arrows visible through the opening in the casing upon the word vrIurn before the handle reaches the limit of its movement. A further shifting of the lhandle 35 will expose the other of the arrows to view while the word Turn is still visible. Vhen it is desired to stop the machine, the handle 35 is thrown to the left so that the shaft 24 will be rotated in the opposite direction, thus winding one web on the upperroller and one web on the lower roller to dispose the word Stop carried Y by the webs, in a visible position. In Fig. 3

I have shown the arrangement of the words on one of the webs (the web being unrolled for this purpose) and it will be understood that, on the other web, the arrangement will be reversed so that the word Stop will be at the top of the web and the word Turn at 'the bottom thereof. In this manner, it will beseen that the operator of the vehicle may instantly actuate the webs to indicate to pedestrians or other automobilists, his intention with regard to the subsequent operation of the machine. The device, as a whole, is very simple in its construction and access may be readily had to the operating mechanism for the webs by simply removing the screws 7 and disconnecting the casing sections.

While I have shown the indicating device mounted upon the frame of the wind shield, it is obvious that the saine may also be mounted in various other positions upon the machine which might better suit the con-v venience of the individual. VVithinthe casing, centrally thereof and between the indicating webs, an electric light bulb, indicated at 40, is placed so that the webs will be illuminated at night and rendered clearly visible.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, manner of operation and several advantages of my invention will be clearly and fully understood. The device is very reliable and positive in practical operation, neat in appearance, and so constructed that the same will occupy but little space.

lVhile I have shown and described the preferred construction and arrangement of the several elements employed, it is to be understood that the device is susceptible of considerable modification therein and I, therefore, reserve the privilege of resorting to all such legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an indicator of the class described, a casing provided with a sight opening, indicating mechanism mounted within the casing including vertically spaced rollers, a transparent web fixed at its ends to said rollers, a gear on one end of each roller, a web shaft mounted adjacent to each of the rollers, an endless web engaged upon said shafts and having direction indicating symbols thereon, a pinion fixed to one end of each of said shafts and meshing with the respective gears on said rollers, and operating means including a gear mounted within the casing and operatively engaged with the gears on one of the ends of said spaced rollers to move the first web past the said opening and simultaneously move the endless web, whereby the direction indicating symbols thereon are exposed to View through the transparent web.

2. In an indicator of the character deweb and render either one of the arrows on scribed, a casing provided with a sight openthe latter web visible through the transing, indicating mechanism mounted within parent web. the casing including a transparent web, an In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my 5 endless web mounted in the casing adjacent signature in the presence of two witnesses. 15

to the transparent web and having oppo- HARRY DOLLENBERG sitely pointing arrows thereon, and means transmitting movement to said webs to eX- Witnesses: pose the indicia on the first web through the BERNARD P. BRUNs, l0 sight opening and also to move the endless GEO. MUN SNYDER, Jr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patente.

i Washington, D. G. 

